Mother of a Hero
by Akatsuki Child
Summary: A delve into the mind, life, and back ground of Sally Jackson, the mother of such a great hero.


**Just a fic that I whipped up real quick. I apologize for any inaccuracies with Sally's life. I did my best to remember the details of what happened to her during her childhood, but I'm sure I've messed up somewhere. Anyways, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO!**

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><p>She certainly hadn't meant to fall in love with a god. It was purely accidental.<p>

Sally never really liked to dwell on her relationship with the sea god, mostly because it was such a great time of her life that was short-lived. Granted, the ending results made the whole fiasco well worth it. If she had never met Poseidon, if she'd never fallen in love with him, she would have never had Percy.

In all honesty, Sally's life was set the day her parents died in a plane crash. They were going on a trip. When they were going to finally arrive, the landing gear faulted. They and everyone else on that plane never stood a chance of surviving. It was an ugly, disturbing crash, with zero survivors.

And so, the now orphaned girl was sent to live with her uncle, who to her was as crazy as a bat. He believed more in the concept of destiny and the belief that things happened because that's how they were _supposed_ to happen. And, being so young, she unknowingly started adapting to this belief.

Perhaps this was all just a precursor to what was about to become of Sally Jackson. It was merely another affirmation that Sally was about to be faced with problems and situations out of her hands, ones that she had little control over and would have to learn how to deal with on her own, step by step.

Eventually, Sally herself started to accept the fact that everything happened for a reason. Her parents dying, while a devastation, was something she just had to learn to live with. At the time of her parents' death, she was at that curious age where she was able to comprehend what was happening, but not to fully realize the implications of such an event. She understood she would never see them again, but she didn't grasp the concept that she would have to mature a little faster than most kids, and that she would mostly likely be taking care of herself at an early age.

However, Sally was smart, and by the time she was out of high school, she was working two jobs to help support herself and her uncle, who was steadily becoming sick. As predicted, he became so sick that he was soon bedridden.

For a while, she took care of him herself in hopes that it was just a nasty cold that he would eventually overcome. But who was she kidding? She knew that he was on his death bed. Perhaps she was subconsciously discarding this fact because having to go through the death of her parents was one too many incidents. In her mind, this couldn't have possibly meant to happen, and her uncle's beliefs had just been hog-wash all this time.

She was supposed to go to college. _That_ was supposed to happen. She was _supposed_ to go get her degree in journalism and eventually write her own book, thus becoming rich and never having to depend on another person ever again.

But Fate had other plans, and one morning, as Sally entered her uncle's room to check on him, she found him lifeless, cold, and very much gone. His skin, which had been cool and brittle like paper, was now cold as stone. His breaths, which had been long and deep, were replaced with motionless, nonexistent inhales and exhales.

With the costs of the funeral and the mourning of her uncle, Sally's plans for college had to be put on hold. She simply couldn't afford it, or the house for that matter. So, after the house had been auctioned off, she set forth to New York, specifically Manhattan, in hopes to find a job able to sustain herself and to start saving up again for college.

Of course, she obviously didn't know that she had just cemented her future, and that she was about to expand her horizons in ways she'd never imagined.

By the time Sally was in her early twenties, she had secured herself a job at the candy store in an outlet mall, selling candy at one of those small vendors that usually decorated malls with various products, ranging from sunglasses to hair products. She had to wear this—in her opinion—hideous red, white, and blue dress and apron combo, along with a cap that resembled that of a nurse's.

It could have been worse.

Honestly, she didn't mind it all that much. She got to see some pretty interesting individuals, not to mention she could take home free samples of candies. Also, surprisingly, the pay wasn't horrendous.

Again, it could have been worse.

Sally considered herself lucky. She hadn't thought that she would have gotten a job as soon as she did when she first moved here. She rented out a little flat in a slightly run-down apartment that suited her just fine. She wasn't too worried about living luxuriously, mostly because it didn't suit her fancy. She liked the reserved life with privacy and even a little mystery.

In summary, she was quite content with her life, even if it was a struggle at times.

But that was subject to change.

Sally overslept, and she was now late for work. She had started working some earlier shifts, and she hadn't quite adjusted to it yet. She had blinked awake with that God-awful feeling that a person receives when they just know something is wrong. One look at the clock, and she shot up onto her feet, sprinting around her small apartment to retrieve her things. She didn't even bother with her hair as she got ready. She just slabbed on a bit of make-up, brushed her teeth, and then slipped into her uniform. She leapt down the stairs to the street and hailed a taxi with a sharp whistle (something she had learned in her short time of living in New York).

Upon arriving at the mall, she dashed down the long corridors towards the vendor where her boss was waiting, no doubt. She did her best to dodge the innocent shoppers, ignoring their stares as she continued her pace…until she ran into someone.

A man, to be exact. Sally turned the corner and _wham!_ She found herself on the ground with a sore rump and an aching body. There was a light pause in the commotion around her as she heard a hushed, "I hope she's all right," before the buzz of shuffling and wrinkled shopping bags being tossed around permeated through the air once again.

"Are you all right?" she heard a deep voice ask above her.

She blinked up at the man looming over her. He was quite handsome with a deep tan, a neatly-kept, short beard, dark hair, and pools of sea-green irises. The man was smiling down at her kindly, his large calloused hand held out in an offer to help her up.

Sally blinked again as her heart skipped a beat. Remembering his question, she stuttered, "I-I'm fine."

She found herself blushing as she took his warm hand and he easily pulled her to her feet. "I'm very sorry for running into you," she apologized quickly. Her face was flushed as she stood before him. He was quite tall, she realized, as he loomed over her.

He shrugged. "Not a big deal. Why the rush anyways?" he asked her, smirking. Did he even realize how smooth and deep his voice was, and the effect it had on Sally?

She swallowed thickly. "I'm late for work," she stated, "so if you don't mind…"

She had meant to just walk past him and forget about his whole incident, but when he called back to her, "Try not to run into anyone," she felt she could only stop short to stare back incredulously. Unfortunately, he had already turned his back on her and was walking away, but intuition told her that he knew exactly the look she was currently giving him.

With that meeting adjourned, she quickly resumed to her spot at the candy store, where she received a nice lecture about being prompt from her boss and a quarter drop from her hourly wage. She would receive those twenty-five cents back when he felt that she finally understood the concept of punctuality.

Decidedly disgruntled, Sally plopped down in her chair at the stand and glared daggers as her boss strode away with his clipboard.

She understood that her tardiness was her own fault. At least, she did subconsciously. For some reason, she attributed being late to running into that _guy_. The guy who, for some reason, stayed stuck on her mind all through the morning.

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><p>"I'd like to buy some candy."<p>

Sally looked up in shock. She knew that voice, even if she had just heard it for the first time earlier that day. Before her, leaning against the glass counter with a wide smile, was the man whom she'd run into. His eyes were bright with mirth as he waited for her to reply.

"Uh," Sally choked out brilliantly, "what would you like?"

His smile widened. "What do you recommend?"

She stared at him. She wasn't really sure if he was being serious…or if he was just using it as an excuse to stay longer to talk to her. Suspicions raised, she slowly said, "The caramel-peanut clusters."

He pursed his lips and tilted his head. "Hmm…I'm more of a peppermint kind of guy. I'll take the Chocolate Mint Drops."

Sally gave him a weird look. "If you knew what you wanted, why did you ask?" she questioned with an exasperated tone while she plucked his desired candy from the shelf and placed it on the counter.

He grinned. "Everything has a purpose," he spoke ominously. He laid some cash on the counter and plucked his candy off the table. He turned away with a wave, saying, "Keep the change."

Sally stared after him in wonder. _What was that about?_ she wondered idly as she shook her head. She sighed and looked down at the bill he had laid on the counter. When her eyes landed on it, she about choked.

He had given her a hundred dollar bill.

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><p>At the end of the day, Sally had to close the shop down. She got to work at exactly five 'o' clock, locking up the cabinets and cleaning the counters. The large bill the man had given her was tucked away safely in her purse. She was not about to spend it, or give it to her boss. She intended to find this man—she wasn't sure how yet—and give it back to him, along with a hearty glare while ignoring her opinion of thinking he was sexy. Because he definitely wasn't.<p>

However, she needn't try hard, for it was when she had locked up the stand that he showed up again, along with the slight irritation that she was starting to feel towards him.

"You," she said in an accusatory tone as soon as her eyes landed on him. She dug through her purse, producing the money. "Take it back," she demanded, holding it out.

"You," he mimicked, holding up a bag. "Take these."

Sally blinked and stared at the silver bag lined with gold. The words on it read _Aphrodite's Chocolate: 50 percent chocolate, 50 percent love!_

She blinked again. "Those…are for me?"

He smiled. "Yup. And it's way better than your store's. No offense."

She ignored his comment and instead slowly took the offering. She was…amazed, actually. She hadn't gotten a gift from someone in such a long time. It was such a shock, not to mention a sweet gesture considering she had only met the man earlier that day.

"Try some," he insisted, his elegant smile still glued to his face.

With a small sigh, she obeyed and peeled open the bag. She dipped her small hand in and plucked a square of milk chocolate from the bag. She unwrapped the silver wrapping, and with a final look at him, took a bite.

It took only a second before a small moan escaped her lips. It was _to die for_. The chocolate was so smooth and rich. It melted quickly in her mouth and when she had finally swallowed it, she immediately yearned for another.

She blinked a couple times and looked up at the man. "Wow," she said quietly, quickly closing the silver bag before she shoved another chocolate into her mouth.

He chuckled deep in his chest, a sound that caused goose bumps to rise on her arms. "Glad you like it."

Sally narrowed her eyes at him. "How much was it?" There was no way chocolate as amazing as this could be cheap.

He waved his hand. "Not important." She rolled her eyes. "What's important is that I was wondering if you'd like to go out with me."

Sally lifted her gaze from the bag to stare into his eyes. She saw no signs of sarcasm or humor. Only seriousness graced with a sincere smile.

Her heart beating frantically, a delicate blush graced her features as she countered, "I don't know…I don't even know your name."

He smiled sheepishly, rubbing his head. "Poseidon," he said.

_Odd name_, she thought. "Like the god," she said aloud.

He smirked. "Exactly like the god."

A moment of silence passed between them. The lights in the mall started dimming, signaling the end of the day. Sally stared into Poseidon's eyes for a minute, trying to decide which course of action to take.

Finally, her decision was made. "Fine. I'll go out with you."

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><p>Her acceptance, of course, set a string of events into action. She came to know this man Poseidon and started to fall in love with him. When he delivered the news that he was indeed <em>the<em> Poseidon, and that the myths and legends were all real, she was tempted to call the cops. However, truth rang out clear in his voice and she couldn't ignore it. She came to accept his declarations, and after becoming more familiar with this fact, she found that she really couldn't imagine him being anyone different.

And then, her life changed again when she spent an amazing night with him, thus resulting in her pregnancy. For some reason that she couldn't fathom, Poseidon started becoming nervous and concerned. When she confronted him about this, he merely mentioned that it was something he couldn't reveal to her, and though she was still curious and concerned, Sally knew it was out of her control, so she simply said, "Okay."

Sally understood that her life was about to change drastically. She knew this because Poseidon's visits were becoming less and less. Again, she understood that he was a _god_. One of the big ones, too. She knew that…well, he would eventually leave for good. She dreaded when that day would come, but she knew that in nine months, she would have her own miracle.

When her water broke, and she was rushed to the hospital, he was right there alongside her. He stayed with her, and when their son was born, he named him Perseus after the great Greek hero.

"Percy for short," Poseidon smiled softly, watching as Sally cradled him in her arms. "He'll be a great hero, too."

After a while, he leaned over Sally and placed a soft kiss on her forehead. She felt tears coming to her eyes, because she knew what that kiss meant. When he pulled back, his eyes were sad as he gave her a reassuring smile. Just when he was going to pull away, she tilted her head up and kissed his lips, pouring her love into that kiss.

Reluctantly, he pulled back and started walking away from her. Sally held back her tears as she looked down at her dark-haired son. When she looked up again, Poseidon was gone, a smell of the sea taking his place and encompassing the room.

From then on, things were pretty steady. As she grew older, she learned what it meant to be a mom. She discovered what pure love was like, to admire someone so much that no matter what horrible things they did, she would always love them. That was Percy. Even when he was being a stinker, even when she had to constantly think about his protection, she knew that this was meant to be. She couldn't imagine a life without him.

Years passed, and Percy was already eleven. He had gone through so many schools already, and though she knew it was definitely not his fault, she still wished that he could have stayed for more than a year at one school.

When she met Gabe, she was immediately repulsed by him, and she wanted nothing more than to keep him away from Percy, but after getting one whiff of that God-awful stench, she knew that he was her solution to keeping Percy safe.

One of the things that Poseidon had explained to her was the "stink" that demigods carried that attracted monsters. Reluctantly, she started to date "Smelly Gabe" and she immediately noticed the results. Percy appeared to be safer, with fewer and fewer scrapes. Granted, she could see how unhappy he was, but it was for his own good.

Then it happened.

It was a stormy day on Percy's birthday, and she knew exactly why. She drove to the cabin that they always went to, the one where she and Poseidon visited frequently. She tried to keep Percy protected, but to no avail. The Minotaur found them, and before she knew what was happening, she was gone.

Sally didn't know what was going on. She blinked, and when she opened her eyes, she was back at the apartment with Gabe. His eyes landed on her in shock and anger, as he demanded to know what happened. But she couldn't tell him, and when Percy finally came home, he explained everything to her.

"I can solve your problems, Mom," Percy had said, motioning to the package on his bed.

Her stomach twisted in knots and her face went pale. However, she simply chuckled. "You're just like your father," she amended, a brief wave of nostalgia passing. "But if my life is going to mean anything, I have to do things on my own."

Sending him back to Camp Half-Blood was the hardest thing she'd done, but she knew that he was in the right hands. He would become a great hero, just like Poseidon said.

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><p>After dealing with Gabe, Sally had to preoccupy herself—and her worries—by working towards writing her novel and working at the candy store. Percy did come home for the summers, but usually he didn't stay long because he was either fighting off monsters or Annabeth or Grover would inform him of a problem at camp. She missed him dearly, but as long as he was safe, that's all that mattered.<p>

She also thought about Poseidon quite frequently. She missed him incredibly, but with the way Percy talked about the problems going on at camp, she knew that he must have been dealing with his own problems. But in retrospect, Sally was just glad that Percy finally knew who his father was, and that they were at least—from what she heard—getting along (whenever they did speak, which she knew wasn't often).

When Percy went to Goode high school in an attempt to start his sophomore year, she met Paul Blofis. She started to date him, and even though he frequently asked about Percy (he did destroy the band room during orientation, after all), she couldn't say a word to him, only vague clues that really led to no particular answer.

Again, she was protecting Percy.

She did find that she liked Paul. Maybe even loved him. But—and she hated to point this out—it would never be the same as being in love with Poseidon. It was akin to being a widow and remarrying: she was in love with Paul, but she would always love and remember Poseidon.

Poseidon had offered her many things. He offered to make her his wife, even. But she knew that she couldn't do that. She couldn't let a god take care of her, just like she couldn't let Percy take care of her problems.

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><p>It was Percy's birthday. He had returned home from camp, and they were about to start celebrating when the doorbell rang. Sally, having no clue who it would be, went to answer the door.<p>

She was incredibly shocked to find Poseidon standing before her, grinning down at her. She let out a squeak as he said, "Hello, Sally. You look as beautiful as ever. May I come in?"

Blushing to her roots, she merely nodded and stepped aside to allow him in. Her heart was pounding furiously in her chest, and her stomach had dropped to the floor. She mildly listened as he and Paul talked briefly.

"This is Percy's father," she provided, her face still flushed. She was thankful when Poseidon steered Percy into the kitchen, but not before looking back at her, only to meet her eyes, giving her a wink and a drop-dead smile.

She swallowed thickly and looked away, blushing profusely.

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><p>Honestly, she <em>hated<em> when he dropped by like that. He always used to do that to her, and she found it to be embarrassing and some points, especially one time when she had just gotten out of the shower, and, wrapped only in a towel, walked into her room to see him lounging on her bed.

Then the war came, and she could only hope and pray that Percy made it out okay. She worried about Poseidon as well, knowing that he was undergoing a great deal too. But when the war was finally over, and Percy emerged from the elevator at the Empire State Building, she could only shout his name in happiness and throw her arms around him in a tight hug.

Sally Jackson had been through quite a few things, and whether or not they were meant to happen or if they happened by pure luck and chance, she wasn't sure. But she was eternally grateful for those events taking place—her parents' and uncle's death, meeting Poseidon, having Percy. All of the ups and downs led to this proud moment, where she could say that she was the mother of a hero.

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><p><strong>I hope you liked it! I wanted to write something different from what I usually wrote. And this is actually somewhat of a summarization of a story I have planned that revolves around Sally and Poseidon. Also, I might write a sort of sequel to this, where it deals more with Poseidon's view of things.<strong>

**I'd also like to apologize for my lack of updating/publishing. It's not that I don't write-I do. But the frequency with which I write has decreased drastically (as I'm sure you all know). But summer is right around the corner, and it's going to be spent finishing stories and starting new ones. I haven't forgotten about you guys, so just keep some faith in me!**

**Thanks for reading and review please!**

**-Akatsuki Child**


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